Posted by Mitch on August 26, 2001, at 12:59:49
In reply to A Social Issue? » Marie1, posted by Rosa on August 26, 2001, at 9:11:05
> I hope this will help explain how we are affected by the environment in which we grew up. Although this is a social issue, it leads to being prescribed medication in some cases.
>
> Here are the characteristics we seem to have in common due to being brought up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional home.
>
> a. We became isolated and afraid of people and authority figures.
>
> b. We became approval seekers and lost our identity in the process.
>
> c. We are frightened by angry people and any personal criticism.
>
> e. We live life from the viewpoint of victims and are attracted by that weakness in our love and friendship relationships.
>
> g. We get guilt feelings when we stand up for ourselves instead of giving in to others.
>
> k. We judge ourselves harshly and have a very low sense of self-esteem.
>Rosa,
Interestingly, half of these traits appear to be paraphrased criteria (DSM-wise) for social anxiety disorder. What if a LOT of people with substance abuse really are just social phobics that need specific treatment for that disorder? We know that our brain gets "rewired" in a more *rewarding* way when we interact with others in a positive benevolent manner. When "normal" people feel malaise or boredom they tend to seek out company to relieve the blues. The process becomes "self-correcting" and they tend not to become ill. Individuals with anxiety/depressive disorders often become isolated and can abuse drugs/alcohol instead. I heard somewhere that dopamine dysfunction in the brains of people with social anxiety/depression tends to perpetuate isolation. Perhaps the reason CBT can be effective is it "resets" your false assumptions about others and *confirms* the new more rational assumptions through the experience of social group "projects", resulting in brains gets *rewired* and the reward system "fixed". What if Alanon, Narcanon, church, sports/games, etc. fundamentally are therapeutic mechanisms to keep individual brains functioning properly through modulation of dopamine/reward systems?
M.
poster:Mitch
thread:75755
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010822/msgs/76464.html